Since Orochimaru had already said so, Akaseki could only accept it. Orochimaru was the captain after all, and Akaseki should follow his arrangements.
After Orochimaru and Minato left, Akaseki and Ranwu exchanged an awkward glance, then found themselves facing Yakushi Nonō in mutual awkwardness—
What made things awkward, of course, was Yakushi Nonō being here as well!
"Cough, cough. At this hour, and with no samurai patrol from the Land of Iron having reached this place yet, we should rest first. As for keeping watch—"
Akaseki said after coughing twice.
Although this was a supply point, and Orochimaru had said that the Land of Rain's mobile forces behind enemy lines relied on "striking unexpectedly" and "grab and run," it was unlikely they would actually attack just because Akaseki's group had dealt with one of their squads. "Revenge" was not something the other side should be doing right now—
But that did not mean they could abandon the night watch and completely let down their guard. After all—even things people should not do were sometimes done!
What if one of the three Chūnin Akaseki had killed had friends or family nearby?
"I'll handle the watch. You two get some proper rest," Akaseki decided directly.
Ranwu had been using medical ninjutsu the entire time and should have rested properly to begin with. As for Yakushi Nonō—if she kept watch, Akaseki would have to monitor her in secret. It simply was not worth it!
And the reason Akaseki said he would handle the watch—
Poof—
As he spoke, Akaseki directly created a Mirror Clone.
After nodding to the original, the clone leaped onto the top of the village watchtower and sat cross-legged.
Clearly, Akaseki intended to use a "Mirror Clone" to keep watch.
The reason he did not use the "Shadow Clone Technique"